


The Watson-Holmes Legacy

by fandom_of_letters



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Babies, Established Relationship, Established Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Fluff, M/M, Parent!lock, Parenthood, Post-Reichenbach
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-15 21:20:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9257789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandom_of_letters/pseuds/fandom_of_letters
Summary: After the Fall, Sherlock came back and confessed his love to John. John, realizing his feelings while Sherlock was away, welcomed Sherlock with open arms, more or less.They had been together for a few years now when John mentions something one night.And that was how the Watson-Holmes legacy started.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This is my first Johnlock fic so I hope you will enjoy.  
> I have plans for this story and I hope you will bare with me.

Sherlock and John had many conversation post-sex while they cuddled. (Sherlock would never admit to it being cuddling.) They talked about cases, John’s blog, plans for the day, and such, but never before had they talked about this.

  
“Sherlock, I think I want a baby,” John says unexpectedly. Sherlock immediately stiffens, he knew this day might come, the day when John would want to go back to women because Sherlock could not offer everything John desired. John seemed to sense Sherlock’s nervousness and chuckled a bit.

  
“Before you retreat into your mind palace, I know that you cannot give me a child. I want to find a surrogate and we can make one together.”

  
“Oh, yes of course,” Sherlock says. “I knew that’s what you meant the whole time.”

  
“No you didn’t. I could tell you started to doubt yourself.”

  
“I might’ve, just a bit.”  
“So, baby. You and I. What do you think?”

  
“John, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  
“No, I know, but I want you to want this too. I don’t want it to be something that you give me. It’s not just a new pair of shoes Sherlock. It’s a living, breathing human being that we are going to have to raise into a functioning member of society.”

  
“I know, John. I’ve never entertained the possibility of having children because I always believed there was no one out there for me. I want this, with you. ‘Domestic bliss,’ I think Mycroft would call it. I want to have a baby with you and raise that child to be brilliant just like their fathers and I want to grow old with you, so old that we are going to have to be wheeled in wheelchairs to crime scenes. I know it’s not what you want me to say, but anything you want, I want to because I want to be happy with you.”

  
“Then, it’s settled,” John says as if they weren’t talking about having a child. “We are going to have a baby.”

  
The smile on John’s sleepy face was enough for Sherlock to know that this was where he was meant to be.

  
“I’ll start interviewing surrogates in the morning.”

  
“They’re not witnesses, Sherlock,” John says with a chuckle. “Just go to sleep.”

  
Sherlock closes his eyes and pulls John closer to him. That night, they both get the best night sleep that either of them have had in weeks.


	2. Baby at Baker Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock and John welcome their baby into the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have big plans for this story so bare with me and I hope you enjoy!

They were at the police station after a particularly trouble case, it wasn’t hard to figure it out but the suspect had given them the slip and they spent the whole day running around London trying to catch him. John was chatting with Greg, Sherlock sat beside him, his mind elsewhere. Any minute now, Claire, their surrogate, should be calling to tell them that her water broke and they should be going home with their child within the next few days. She was already overdue and Sherlock was getting antsy to have their baby girl in his arms. John seemed to notice his nervousness and placed a relaxing hand on his thigh.

“So did you guys got the nursery all finished? Molly told me that she was over at your place the other day to help you paint,” Lestrade says, also sensing Sherlock’s nervousness.

“Yes, we couldn’t be more grateful for Molly’s help. It looks gorgeous. Sherlock had an impossible plan and I don’t think that it would have been possible without her.”

“Don’t make it sound like a bad thing, John,” Sherlock says, defending himself. “Our daughter needs to sleep in an intellectually stimulating environment. Both you and I are very intelligent people and I want her to be even more clever than us.”

“Sherlock, she’s not even born yet and you are setting expectations for her. Just let her grow up to be herself. Don’t make her feel like she has to live up to your massive intellect.”

Sherlock sighed in frustration and buried his head in his hands. He didn’t know how this parenting thing worked. He wanted the best for their daughter, but she wasn’t even born yet and he had already screwed up.

“I’m sorry, John.” Sherlock chose to ignore the look of shock that crossed Lestrade’s face as he apologized. John rubbed his back in sympathy.

“You’re fine, love. I want her to be successful as well. But for now, and for a few years, she’s just a baby. She’ll learn and grow at her own pace. Sherlock, she’s your daughter, she’ll be brilliant.”

“You don’t know that she’s mine she could be yours.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.

“Let’s hope for the sake of the human race that she’s John’s, otherwise the world will have two psychopaths running around London.” says Donovan as she walks into Lestrade’s office. Both Lestrade and John stand up to face Donovan.

“You say anything bad about Sherlock one more time Donovan and you’ll wish Sherlock was your only problem,” John growls angrily.

“John,” Sherlock says, tugging on the cuff of John’s shirt, trying to calm him down.

“Sally, I’m not saying John’s comments are appropriate, but yours sure as hell wasn’t. You have no right to intrude on Sherlock and John’s happiness. Tell me what you need then get the hell out of my office.”

“Just wanted to tell you that the paperwork from the last case went through,” Sally huffs out then stomps away from the three men.

“Sorry about Donovan,” Lestrade says sitting back down. “She’s been very crabby lately. I think she’s jealous of what you to have. Especially since she just found out that her fiancé was cheating on her a couple of weeks ago.”

“It’s okay, Lestrade. I’m used to it. It doesn’t bother me. It never me bothered me.”

“She has no right to talk to you like that. You’ve solved more cases than all of Scotland Yard combined. You work yourself practically to death to solve a case. She needs to take that into account,” John says angrily. 

This time it’s Sherlock’s turn to give a reassuring hand, gently rubbing circle with his thumbs on John’s knee. John’s fuming is interrupted by a beep of Sherlock’s phone, notifying him of a text alert. Sherlock and John lock eyes. That alert can only mean one thing, for Sherlock only ever got texts from John or Lestrade and he was in the same room as both.

**My water broke. OMW to the hospital. Meet you there? – Claire**

**John and I will be there as quickly as possible; we are not far away. – SH**

**Ok! I’m excited for you guys!!!! – Claire**

Sherlock and John grab their coats and rush out of Scotland Yard into the crisp October air of London. They hail a cab and promise to pay them double if the driver drives as fast as possible. They get to the hospital at the same time as Claire and were ushered to the room along with her. Sherlock and John had become really good friends with Claire over the nine months she had been carrying their child. They had promised to make Claire a constant presence in their child’s life, given the situation Claire was just about to endure to bring this child into this world. She even gave them the idea for the name for their baby girl.

“Guys, I’m very excited for you guys and I know we promised to stay friends, but I’m going to have to break one of your hands because it FUCKING HURTS!” Claire half-screams.

The rest of the night went like this and between contractions they chatted with Claire to try and take her mind off of the pain. Finally, at three a.m. on October 14, their daughter was born. Her tiny cries fill the room and Sherlock broke out in honest-to-god tears. Never, in all his years, did Sherlock Holmes think he would have a partner, let alone a child. John grasped his hand tightly and Sherlock looked over to see that John was in tears as well.

They watched as the nurses cleaned off their tiny little baby. Once they were done, the weighed and measured her and then brought her over to them.

“Who wants to hold her?” asked the nurse. John motioned for her to place the baby in Sherlock’s arms. Sherlock held his breath as the nurse transferred the tiny human into his arms.

“Have you picked a name for her?” another nurse asks.

“Charlotte Joan Watson-Holmes.” Sherlock coos at the baby in his arms.

“Beautiful name,” the nurse responds.

“My idea,” Claire says sleepily. John chuckles as he stares Charlotte.

“Welcome to London, Charlotte. I’m your Papa, I’m a doctor. And this is your daddy, he’s a detective.”

“John, she’s a baby,  _ our  _ baby. We don’t need to introduce ourselves,” Sherlock chuckles.

John looks down at the baby carrier that Sherlock is holding. Charlotte is fast asleep, her hands in little fists and her brow furrowed.

_ God, _ John thought,  _ she looks so much like Sherlock. _

She had dark hair and for a baby she had very sharp features, just like Sherlock. There was no doubting she was his.

“She’s perfect,” John whispers and Sherlock hums in agreement.

~~~

John digs the keys out of his pocket and opens up the flat for her and Sherlock to go in. Sherlock brings their child into 221B Baker Street for the first time. John almost wanted to savor the moment had he not been so damn tired. They had been at the hospital all night and most of the afternoon getting all the paperwork settled when finally, Mycroft had shown up and relieved them from their paperwork duties to take Charlotte home and get some sleep. They had bid farewell to Claire, telling her they would catch up soon. Claire had told them that she would be willing to do it for them twenty times more if they asked. 

Finally, they were back at Baker Street with their new addition. The three of them ascend the seventeen steps to the flat.

“Welcome to Baker Street, Charlotte,” whispered Sherlock as he set her carrier on his chair.

“I’ll get the bassinette and set it up in our room. Then maybe we can try and get some shut eye, hmm?”     

“Yes, I think that would be best.” Sherlock says, picking Charlotte. She stirs and her eyes open just a tad. She finds Sherlock’s eyes and she stares at him. Sherlock can’t help but smile at the precious thing cradled in his arms right now. She was the most precious thing Sherlock had ever seen and she already had Sherlock wrapped around her finger. From this moment forward, Sherlock vowed that his daughter would want for nothing. She could ask him to buy Buckingham Palace for her and he would do it.

He would do it because he loved her and that was something Sherlock had never felt before, only previously with John, who he would move mountains for as well. This love that he felt for Charlotte, however, was a completely different kind of love. This was the unconditional kind. He predicted that in her teenage years, she would go through the angsty phase that every teenager went through and would make his and John’s life hell. But he would still drop everything and do anything for her if she asked because she was his daughter and he would do anything for her. He didn’t really know how to describe this emotion. There wasn’t even a single word to define it. It was love but it was so much more than that.

He saw John watching him from the doorway, a small smile on his face.

“She’s…” Sherlock couldn’t complete his thoughts. He didn’t think there was a word for what she was. The great Sherlock Holmes was, for the second time in ten minutes, lost for words.

“I know, Sherlock,” John moves closer to his little family, close enough to give Sherlock a quick kiss on his neck, and looks down at their daughter. “The bassinette is set up. Want to see if we can get some sleep?”

“With a newborn, it’s statistically unlikely that we’ll get very much for three to six months until she starts to sleep through the night.”

“Never hurts to try though right?”

“Right you are Doctor Watson.”

“Come on love, we’ve been up all night. Let’s sleep. She’s already asleep so it won’t be that hard.”

Sherlock looks down at the bundle in his arms and saw that she had in fact had fallen asleep.

The night went by fairly smoothly. Charlotte had slept mostly through the night though she had woken both of her fathers up at three in the morning insisting to be changed and fed. They had been up ever since, taking turns holding her. (Neither of them wanted to put her back in her bassinette, both agreeing that they needed to bond with her.)

A ring from the doorbell around eight in the morning brought them back to reality. As usual, Mrs. Hudson answered it for them and brought whoever it was to their door. Mrs. Hudson knocked at the door and pushed it open slightly.

“Client,” she whispers. A lady comes in nervously and looks at the two, sorry, three of them.

“Sorry, we’re not taking clients for the next few months,” Sherlock says abruptly. 

“Sherlock, let’s hear her out,” John says, cradling a wide-awake Charlotte in his arms.

“Will you excuse us for a second?” Sherlock says and gently guides John into the kitchen. “Our daughter is only a day old and you want to go crime solving?”

“Of course not Sherlock. Sometimes you don’t have to leave the flat to solve a case now do you?”

Sherlock blinks at him for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, Sherlock cups John’s face, kisses him on the forehead, then kisses Charlotte’s head. Together the walk back into the living room to greet the client.

“John, stay here. I’m going to bring Charlotte’s bassinet in here so you don’t have to hold her the entire time.”

“Right,” John turns towards the client. “Sorry about this. She’s new, haven’t had her for more than a day. Still getting into the swing of things.”

“She’s adorable. Sorry for the inconvenience. I didn’t know you would have a baby. And sorry for coming so early I have to work at ten,” she says. 

“No problem. We get clients this early all the time.” Charlotte coos in his arms and he looks down at her and smiles.

“She is really quite adorable. She your’s?”

“Our’s actually,” Sherlock says as he saunters out into the living room, bassinet in his arms. The client blushes and looks down at her hands.

“Sorry, I didn’t know,” she says, embarrassed.

“No need to be embarrassed. Our relationship isn’t exactly public yet. By the way, we’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention this to anybody,” John says, placing Charlotte in the now set up bassinet.

“No worries. I’m just here for your help.”

Sherlock and John sit in their respective chairs and get ready to hear the client’s story.

“So how can we help you?” Sherlock says, fingers under his chin. John almost laughed at that. Sherlock at a bit of baby vomit in his curls, just a little bit that you wouldn’t notice unless you were looking for it. His hair was disheveled and he hadn’t had a chance to shave since Charlotte was born so he had a bit of stubble on his chin. He also had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. (Even Sherlock would admit that babies were a bit more exhausting than a case and sleep was necessary more often.) 

“Well, it’s my ex-husband. He is stalking me somehow. I just know it. He sends me these pictures of myself. Sometimes I’m out in public, doing shopping or something, but other times I’m alone in my home. He texts me about things I did during the day. I’ve gone to the police, but they keep saying that it’s not possible because he is in America. They checked his credit cards and he hasn’t purchased and tickets back to England.”

“Can I see these texts?” Sherlock asks, extending a hand for the phone. She places it in his hand and he quickly scans the messages. “Do you have any letters from him?”

“Yes, I have some about our divorce. We wrote letters because he had just moved out to America and hadn’t had time to set up calls for overseas. Or at least that’s what he told me.” She hands him the letters. They contain nothing important, just dividing their stuff. He compares the letters to the text and-

“Ah! I know what is going on,” Sherlock exclaims. That moment Charlotte starts crying softly. Sherlock’s heart breaks everytime she cries so he quickly hops up and rushes to her aid, forgetting about the client. He picks her up and rocks her slowly, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet. Her face, previously scrunched up, is now softening as she snuggles into her father. Her little fist grab at the fabric of Sherlock’s shirt, without success. Her offers Charlotte his index finger and she gladly wraps her tiny fist around it. Her eyes flutter open for a second, looking at Sherlock, but then decides on keeping them closed.

“Sherlock, you want to explain what is going on with the client?” John says. Sherlock is brought back to reality and looks up at John who is smiling warmly at him. Sherlock returns his smile and then looks back at the client.

“Your son is trying to reconnect you with your ex-husband. He at first started with the texts, the non-creepy ones. Then when you weren’t responding he needed to up the ante. He is doing all this in hopes you will contact his father and work things out.”

“Really? How do you know?”

“The language. You’re ex-husband is an elegant writer. The texts have none of the vocabulary he frequently uses. This vocabulary is consistent with that of a teenager.”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Holmes. What do I owe you?”

“No charge, please. It took me no time at all and I didn’t even have to leave the flat.”

“Thank you, Mr. Holmes, truly.” 

And that was the only case Sherlock worked for a while. Surprisingly, after a long conversation with John, Sherlock opted to be a stay-at-home dad. John tried to convince him to take cases he could work from the flat but Sherlock wanted to focus on Charlotte’s development. John joked that Charlotte was his case and in a way Sherlock agreed with him. 


	3. Press, the Work, and Sentiment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff filled chapter. Charlotte is one month old!

They knew that they couldn’t keep their relationship a secret for long, especially now with Charlotte, but they didn’t expect it to be this soon.

Charlotte was barely a month old. It was Saturday and John didn’t have to work. They decided last night to see how long it would take before Charlotte would cry for their attention. She had woken up a few times during the night and they had taken turns getting up to take care of her.

It was about 8 in the morning before she cried for her fathers again and by that time, John and Sherlock were awake but still lounging in bed talking softly to one another. When they heard her soft cries, they both got up; John went to the kitchen to prepare a bottle and Sherlock went upstairs to the nursery to get their daughter.

Apparently, Mrs. Hudson heard them up and about because soon there was a knock at the door and her token “woohoo” as she entered the flat.

“Good morning, Mrs. H,” John says from the kitchen.

“Morning, John,” Mrs. Hudson says, setting a tea tray on the coffee table. They hear baby coos from the stairs and both of them turn to see a sleepy Sherlock walking down the stairs with Charlotte in his arms.

“She’s very vocal this morning. Hasn’t stopped making noises since I’ve picked her up,” Sherlock says.

“Babies do that. I remember when Harry was born. She wouldn’t shut up and I hated every time she cried.”

“Started the feud early?” Sherlock questioned.

“I was four years old! I didn’t know any better.”

Sherlock and Mrs. Hudson share a laugh.

“Do you boys know why the press would be outside?” Mrs. Hudson says from the window.

“No, we haven’t had any cases for a while since Charlotte was born,” John replies. “Is there a bunch of press outside?”

“They’ve been there all morning.”

They hear Sherlock curse.

“What?” John questions.

“Our trip to Tesco yesterday. I think we both forgot that it’s not normal for two men to have a baby and be holding hands. We’ve must’ve drawn attention and someone recognized us and reported it to the press.”

“That makes sense. No one else we know would tell. Sarah said she was covering for me while I took paternity leave and since it’s her own private practice there would be no one she would have to report to. And she wouldn’t have told the press.”

“Yes, I do believe it was the Tesco trip.”

“While you feed Charlotte, I’ll go deal with them,” John says, handing Sherlock the bottle.

“No, John we need to face this together. They know now so we might as well.”

“Okay, but first let me just go see if that’s what they’re really here for. Plus Charlotte needs to be fed or she’ll be fussy.”

“Alright.”

John walks down the steps and heads out of the flat. He immediately gets bombarded by the press with camera flashes and questions.

Finally, they all calm down and wait for John to take the lead.

“Um, okay, you in the front.”

“Is it true that you and the Reichenbach Hero, Sherlock Holmes are in a relationship and is it true that you have a child?”

“Let me go get him,” John says, heading back into Baker Street. Sherlock is already standing at the top of the landing, Charlotte in his arms.

“Decided I was needed?” Sherlock asks.

“You’re always needed.I just wanted to make sure they wanted what we thought they wanted before we gave ourselves away completely.”

“Was I right?”

“Shut up, you know you’re always right.”

Sherlock smirks and comes down the stairs and gives John a quick peck on the lips. Sherlock opens the door to Baker Street and the press gets riled up again.

“Mr. Holmes! Mr. Holmes!” shouts the mob of press.

“Dr. Watson and I will answer a few questions. We will decide when the interview is over and when it is you will leave immediately and not linger like your kind tends to,” Sherlock says.

“Mr. Holmes, can you confirm the rumors that you and Dr. Watson are in a relationship?” one of the reporters ask. Sherlock looks at John and John nods.

“Yes, John and I have been in an intimate relationship for a little over three and a half years now.”

“Who is it you are holding, Mr. Holmes?” asks a another reporter. Sherlock motions for John to take this one.

“This is our daughter, Charlotte. She is just over a month old now. Sherlock and I couldn’t be happier with her arrival.”

“Are you worried this relationship being public could affect your work?” the first reporter asks.

“If a client has a problem with my relationship and they feel uncomfortable with it then the needn’t come to me for help. If they don’t come to me for their case because of my relationship with Doctor Watson, then their case probably wasn’t important enough for me anyway.”

“Can we get a picture of the happy family?”

Sherlock and John move closer together. Sherlock hands Charlotte over to John and John positions her into a sitting position in his arms. Sherlock wraps his arm around John’s waist. He gives the cameras and very “Sherlock” glare. Only John knew this look. It was the look that Sherlock gave John while they were on a case or out at dinner or with people in general. It was the I-love-you-so-much-but-i’m-not-so-fond-of-public-displays-of-affection look.

Sherlock let the snapping of cameras continue for a few seconds but then Charlotte started to get fussy in John’s arms. 

“That will be all,” Sherlock snaps, “Please leave now. I’m sure all of you have stories to write.”

Sherlock turns his family around, arm still around John’s waist and leads them back into their humble flat. He was very protective of his doctor and his daughter. They were his and they were something he had never had before so he was about to let it be taken away from him.

“So much for privacy,” John mutters as they enter. He puts Charlotte down in her bassinet and falls onto the couch. Sherlock nudges him and John moves so that Sherlock had his back to the back of the couch and was wrapped around John.

“We knew it was bound to happen. It was easy to conceal our relationship but it’s harder to conceal a baby,” Sherlock reasons.

“You don’t think it will change anything, clients and such, knowing that we’re together?”

“Perhaps people might not come to us, but if they don’t come, how will we know they thought about us in the first place?”

“I guess so.”

“Everything will be alright John. We have Charlotte and each other. I couldn’t care less if we didn’t get any more clients for the rest of our lives as long as we have this,” Sherlock says, rubbing small circles on John’s hip.

“No, you’d secretly hate it. You’re married to the Work remember?”

“Not anymore, John. I’ve got something else to occupy my time. Two somethings in fact. The Work is not nearly as important anymore.”

“Admit it though, you’d be a little upset if you’d never get to solve a case again.”

“How about I prove to you that I’m not married to the work anymore?”

“Alright, how?”

“Stay right here,” Sherlock says as he wiggles his way off of the couch. Sherlock runs into his bedroom and digs through his sock index to find what he was looking for. The box was soft in his hands and he opened it to make sure it was there. He puts the box in his pocket and walks out of the bedroom. When he got back to the living room, John was sitting up.

“Sherlock, I don’t care if you’re married to the Work, you know that right?”

“But I’m not anymore and I want to prove that to you,” Sherlock says. He walks over to the couch and kneels before John, taking John’s hands in his own. “John, that first night, the first case, I told you I considered myself married to my Work. That was before I realized how I felt about you. I realized I loved you shortly after I realized you had shot the cabbie. From that moment I realized if I could have you, I’d do anything. I would even die for you, which in a way I did. Moriarty threatened you and I couldn’t let that stand. I came back and you accepted me back into your life which is more than I ever expected. 

“I don’t understand how you haven’t realized it by now, but you are more important than the Work. You and Charlotte are worth losing the Work. So John, if you’ll have me, will you help me prove that I’m not married to the Work by marrying me?” 

Sherlock pulls the box out of his pocket and opens the lid, presenting the simple gold band to John.

“Sherlock…” John whispers with tears in his eyes. “Of course I will marry you!”

Sherlock smiles so wide as he takes the ring and puts it on John’s finger.

“You know,” John says, pulling Sherlock onto the couch with him. “Traditional couples get married before they have children.”

“What about our relationship is traditional, John?”

“Nothing I guess. When I said I wanted kids, I thought we’d just jump to that. I never thought you would be the type to get married or I would’ve asked.”

“John, I don’t care. I never thought I would be getting married or have a child, but look at how far we’ve come.”

“Are you gonna start taking cases now that you ‘proved’ to me that you’re not married to the work anymore?”

“Not yet, John. There is still so much to teach Charlotte. Plus, if I get distracted, even for a moment I might miss something; her first word, her first steps, sitting up on her own, a laugh, or even just a smile. I don’t want to miss a thing.”


	4. Trees and Sleigh Rides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd be lying if I said this wasn't a filler chapter. When reviewing this I realized I had Sherlock proposing in this chapter too. I didn't really have the energy to change it at that moment so I left it. Then, I had someone close to me die and had no motivation. So I hope this will be acceptable as I work more on the actual story. Thanks!

Christmas was a brand new thing at Baker Street. They had celebrated with Lestrade and Molly and others but they had never done the exchanging of gifts. This year they had Charlotte. She would be two months old, not old enough to understand what was going on let alone remember it, but John insisted. 

“I want to get the tradition started. I want her to grow up with the childhoods we never had.”

Sherlock, willing to do anything for John, complied and that’s how he ended up in the cold, Charlotte strapped to his chest, holding John’s hand as the walked through a tree farm searching for the perfect tree for their little family. They had wandered through the rows of trees for about 45 minutes and Sherlock was getting bored, though he tried not to let it show. He didn’t want to ruin John’s time. Instead, Sherlock focus on the little baby on his chest. 

She had become very responsive to sounds and faces. One of her favorite things was when Sherlock would play his violin. She would stare at him while he was playing, eyes wide. Sometimes, if he played something exciting, she would kick her little legs in excitement and squeal.

Now, however, she had her cheek pressed into Sherlock’s chest for warmth. Her face was a bit rosy from the cold but nothing to worry about. She was wrapped in a coat that look similar to Sherlock’s. John had found at on one of the online baby sites he liked to shop at. Sherlock couldn’t deny she looked very cute in it. After two months her “Sherlock curls,” as John liked to call them, had come in strong and she looked very much like Sherlock.

“There’s really no denying that she’s genetically mine now is there,” Sherlock says as John eyes another tree.

“She is a mini version of you. Sometimes I look at her and she makes a face and I forget that I’m looking at Charlotte and not you.”

“You know, when you came up with the idea of mixing our semen for a surprise baby I almost denied it. I want this child to be yours because then she’d be brave and strong and independent and not have any my unfortunate traits.”

“Sherlock, I couldn’t be happier that she’s your’s. She will have your beautiful brain and your determination. And you need to give yourself more credit. You are braver than anyone I’ve ever met. You run at criminals, sometimes stupidly so don’t get any ideas, and you confront danger without even batting an eye. You solve cases because you know people are relying on you to solve them. Don’t try to protest because I’ve seen you take cases that are below a four because someone’s husband is missing or because their child was killed and they needed closure. You are the best father and she is very lucky to have you.”

“She’s lucky to have you too, John. If she didn’t have you, I wouldn’t have you and I wouldn’t be who I am today without you and I would probably be a terrible father without you.”

“Ditto, love. Okay, enough sappy stuff. I think we’ve found the tree.” 

Sherlock looked at the tree in question and found it to be nothing special. It look exactly like every other tree they had looked at but Sherlock trusts John’s decision, especially since Sherlock barely knew anything about Christmas decor.

“It looks…” Sherlock tries to find the right word, but fail, “very Christmas-y. And just the right size for our flat.”

John looks at him with a mixture of love and stupidity. Sherlock squirms under the gaze, somehow, John can make him feel stupid and sometimes he’s very grateful for it. It keeps him on his toes.

“You really don’t know much about Christmas do you?”

“Mummy and Father did all the traditional stuff with Mycroft and I as kids, but as we got older we didn’t see the point and left them to their own devices during the holidays while Mycroft and I focus on our studies. I must’ve deleted all of the information pertaining to it at some point to make room for something else.”

John chuckles and squeezes Sherlock’s hand affectionately.

“I’m going to find a guy to chop this down for us. Let Charlotte smell the tree, she might find it nice.”

John walked down the line of trees and disappeared as he turned the corner. Sherlock pulled some pine needles off of the tree and held the up to his every-curious daughter. Her wide eyes followed Sherlock’s movements and he moved them toward her nose and her eyes got even wider.

 

Back at Baker Street, tree set up in a stand, John went to a storage facility to get his childhood ornaments, given Sherlock had none, and took Charlotte with him. Sherlock texted a few people and set his plan in motion.

 

With the tree all decorated, the three decided to relax for the rest of the day. Charlotte was put down in her bassinet and John and Sherlock were wrapped around each other on the couch, watching an old black and white Christmas movie that John claimed was “a classic.” Around eight in the evening there was a beep of Sherlock’s phone that signaled that everything was in place.

“John, there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“Go ahead Sherlock,” John said sleepily

“Well, I can’t exactly ask. I more have to show you.” The two men got up for the couch and Sherlock led John to the door of 221B. John resisted a little.

“Sherlock, what about Charlotte?” Sherlock tapped the baby monitor that was in his pocket, reassuring John that if she were to cry out, they would know.

“Now, close your eye.”

“What? Why?”

“Trust me, John. Close your eyes.”

“I always trust you, Sherlock.”

Sherlock took hold of one of John’s hands and guided him down the stairwell to the front door that was opened with a smile from Mrs. Hudson.

“Open your eyes,” Sherlock whispered in John’s ear.

John gasped when he saw what was waiting for them. It had been snowing heavily all day, enough that there was a horse-drawn sleigh on the street.

“I do believe that this is our ride, Dr. Watson.” Sherlock procured their coats and snow boots, almost magically and handed off the baby monitor to Mrs. Hudson.

“Sherlock, how…?” John didn’t even know what to say. The trudge through the thick snow to the sleigh. Sherlock helped John up then climbed in himself.

The sleigh took them around London, the fresh layer of snow scaring away the crowds and making everything look like a fairytale. Sherlock and John huddled together for warmth and stopped at an Late-Nite coffee shop for some hot chocolate. 

“I was going to do this on Christmas Eve, but you made plans with everyone and the weather was cooperative today,” Sherlock says as the approach Baker Street.

“It was lovely, Sherlock. Thank you so much.” John kisses Sherlock softly and they get off the sleigh.

“Now let’s go see our daughter.”

The two walk into their flat, hand-in-hand, happier than either have been for a long time.


	5. The Legacy Continues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock has a mid-life crisis and John provides for him. SO MUCH FLUFF

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello faithful readers! I am having surgery on Thursday so it might be a while before you get another update but don't worry! I'm determined to stick with the story to the end and I hope you are too.

Charlotte was six months old and the three inhabitants of Baker Street had fallen into a domestic routine, something that Sherlock never thought he would do. Charlotte had finally decided she liked sleeping through the night. John or Sherlock would put her to bad around 8:30 and themselves around 11. They would wake up at 6 and eat breakfast. Then one of them would go get Charlotte and feed her while the other got ready for the day. Then whoever hadn’t fed her would change her diaper and dress her while the other got ready. At 8 John would be out the door with a kiss goodbye to his curly haired family and on his way to work. Sherlock would then take Charlotte through little lessons and feed her when appropriate. Then John would get home, sometimes with groceries and such and would begin on dinner. Then John would spend time time with Charlotte as Sherlock looked through emails from the website.

Today, however, Sherlock was deep in his mind palace, thinking about the thought that overtook him today. It wasn’t until John nudged him that he came out of his mind palace.

“What are you thinking about?” John asks. Sherlock opens his eyes to find John and Charlotte sitting in John’s chair across from Sherlock.

“I want to have more kids. Lots more.” Sherlock says bluntly. John, who was bouncing Charlotte on his knee stops abruptly and looks at Sherlock with wide eyes.

“More?”

“Yes, do keep up.”

John chuckles and starts to bounce Charlotte again.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to more children, but what brought this on?”

“Death.”

“Death?”

“When we die, what do we leave behind? Legacy. Mine will die with me. My legacy is my mind. But if I were to have children, one of them is bound to want to learn how to have my mind. Then my legacy can live on after I die. Let the world be filled with Watson-Holmes children.”

“Should we ask Claire if she would be willing to get pregnant again so soon?”

“I’m sure she’d love to. She loved pregnancy with Charlotte.”

“I’ll call her up after dinner. We’re ordering takeaway. I’m too knackered from work to make dinner.”

“Fine by me. Chinese or Italian?”

“Can’t you just deduce what I want? You are the famous Mr. Holmes.”

“Soon to be Watson-Holmes. But yes, I already know you want Chinese.”

“You know me so well, love. What do you want?” John asks as he gets up, Charlotte in his arms, to find his phone.

“Noodles for me, thanks.” 

Since Sherlock has not been working cases, he’s actually eaten his proper three meals a day and put on a healthy amount of wait, still as skinny as ever, just a healthier skinny. John likes to think that because it was his idea to have a baby, that it was him who got Sherlock to a healthy weight but alas, it was probably all Charlotte’s doing. 

After John called the Chinese place, he sat down on Sherlock’s knee, bringing Sherlock’s attention to him once more. Sherlock smiled up at him, not his need-to-be-nice-to-a-witness-so-they’ll-give-me-information smile. No, this was a smile only reserves for John, the smile was full of love and happiness and always made John melt inside.

“Do you think we’ll be able to handle two babies?” John asks looking at Charlotte’s sleepy face.

“I’m positive we are fully capable, John. Charlotte is the a really mild mannered baby, according to all the books I’ve read. Even if we get a screamer, they’ll be easy to deal with because Charlotte will behave. And we always have Mrs. Hudson.”

“Bless, Mrs. Hudson. What would we do without her?”

“England would fall,” Sherlock says, remembering.

~~~~~

Claire got pregnant on the first try and they held a celebration at Baker Street, just the three of them and Charlotte, of course. John and Sherlock had champagne leftover from their engagement party and sparkling grape juice for Claire. They used just John’s sperm this time, to ensure that John would have a child that was genetically his own, like Sherlock had with Charlotte. There was a little bit of protesting from John but eventually he gave in.

“So have you guys picked a date for the wedding?” Claire asks.

“Well, we’ll have to do it before the little one gets her now won’t we?” John replies.

“Perhaps we should. We haven’t really thought about the wedding much at all.”

“That’s because every time I bring it up, you don’t want to talk about it.”

“That’s because the idea-”

“Of marriage is absurd because we already live together and have a child so we cares  _ when _ we get married. But you promised me this Sherlock and I will get it, even if I have to drag you to the church kicking and screaming.”

“I couldn’t imagine being a surrogate for anyone else. I love you guys.” Claire says, watching the couple bicker.

“We couldn’t thank you enough for what you are doing for us, Claire.” John says.

“I’d have twenty children for you two. You guys do so much for London, and England for that matter, that if me having babies means your work might continue I’d do it until I die.”

“Thank you, Claire, but I’m sure twenty children would be too much. Even for us,” Sherlock says, “Though I do appreciate everything you are doing for us.”

“Like I said, I would do it over and over. Every time you call, wanting another one, I’ll do it, no questions asked.”

“We’d actually like to offer you something,” John says, “Since you’re pregnant again, I think the timing is right. We’d like to offer you the flat below ours so you can still be involved in our children’s lives. And after this baby comes we’d like to pay you to be our nanny, Sherlock and I have been wanting to get back to working cases.”

Claire smiles so big, her mouth practically meeting her ears.

“Yes, oh my god, thank you guys!” Claire pulls them in for a hug.

“We’ll help you move in as soon as you want,” Sherlock offers.

The rest of the night is spent talking about Charlotte, plans for the wedding, and arrangements for the new baby. Baker Street has gone from shooting guns at three in the morning and dangerous experiments to answering baby cries at three in the morning and hazardous diaper changes, and John and Sherlock couldn’t be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whose excited for Baby Watson?? Comment what gender you think the baby will be and what you think it's name will be!


End file.
